Today, D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey of Chester French release their debut album that Pharrell Williams calls, “genius.” The duo traces an aesthetic lineage from Beethoven to Brian Wilson, from Les Paul to Prince to, well, Pharrell, who signed them to his Star Trak label. Together, they see walls coming down with a new generation inspired by innovative artists like Gnarls Barkley and OutKast.

Chester French’s Love the Future is as delightful as it is ambitious. The glorious “She Loves Everybody” mixes sensibilities equally drawing on Motown and power-pop. “Beneath the Veil” throws country twists into hip-hop aesthetics. There’s a curtain-raising “Introduction,” and a couple transition pieces (“The String Interlude” and “Country Interlude”) to help tie it all together and stress that this is, overall, far more than just a collection of songs, but a whole statement.